I am about to start a PhD but I am seriously considering quitting before I start next month. Until recently I had always wanted to do a PhD and become a lecturer, even though I was fully aware of the competitive career structure and low numbers of permanent academic jobs. I thought I would pursue a few post-docs and then hopefully get a permanent job but the odds seem to be stacked against this. I love my subject but don't think I can cope with dedicating all this time to my PhD and not getting anything at the end of it. I have also had problems with anxiety and depression and I don't think I could cope with the stress of moving from post doc to post doc anyway.

My subject has no real world application (palaeontology) so I'm struggling to see how I could be able to convert my experience as a PhD student to a non academic career and will find myself working in a minimum wage job with no career prospects. I'm also concerned my PhD will only put employers off as I would be deemed overqualified or too specialised for a normal job.

It had been my dream to a PhD in this subject but I don't know if I should count my losses and try to do something else now or follow my dream even though it will get me nowhere.

Sorry for the long post but any advice would be really appreciated.

As you clearly mentioned there are low number of permanent academic jobs, why do you think that you have to spend whole life just in teaching...i guess this job wont be with lot of stress and anxiety...its just a matter of knowledge sharing...i suggest you not to giveup PhD.

I honestly think this is a decision you have to make for yourself. I wouldn't seek to influence you. Perhaps others will feel the same way.

You seem well informed on the pros and cons, the realities of the academic job market, and the qualification's value (or relative lack of) outside of the academy.

A pertinent consideration is what value the process and qualification hold for you at a personal level. Is it something you want to do primarily for the experience and opportunity for personal growth? You'll improve your writing, organisational, and oratory skills, some of which may have utility outside of the academy. (Though as you're aware, marketing a PhD in an unrelated field/vocation is difficult.)

Will you be funded? This can have a great bearing on any decision. If your PhD is paid for (at least predominantly) by a research council, you can treat the process as a job. It won't make you rich, but you shouldn't be destitute by the end, either.

It sounds like you have a very realistic view of the job prospects from starting a PhD which is good. A lot of people embark on the path with no idea of the challenges, and are left tremendously disappointed at the other end.

Two questions -
1. Do you have a plan B? An alternative career to pursue now or later that could give you some degree of satisfaction.
2. If your desire to do a PhD in palaeontology is primarily for interest's sake (having acknowledged the limited potential for it to translate into an actual job), do you think this is something you could do part time further down the line? Plenty of people do PhD's later in life purely for their personal satisfaction, rather than as a career goal. Perhaps this might be a way to scratch that itch?

Nick' s advice is spot on. I would also suggest doing a search for alt-ac careers. One site that is good if US-focussed is Versatile PhD. It might give you a few ideas about how you might use your PhD training in other fields. If you are really uncertain, could you defer for a year? That might give you chance to think it through without time pressure (although I appreciate this isn't usually possible with funded PhDs).

In the real world, a PhD in any field says commitment and hard work. I would imagine museum jobs, teaching jobs, research organisation jobs (epsrc) would be possible careers. Maybe even government science council unesco UN heritage work?

You have to really really want it. If you do, go for it. Life's not just a destination but a journey.

That said, "museum jobs" are oft touted as options for art/humanities PhD grads, with (a) not many opportunities out there and (b) competition with adequately qualified people with BAs + Masters in museum studies.

I think it's right to be realistic about the job prospects post PhD, though it is worth thoroughly researching viable alternative careers.

Many thanks to everyone for your replies so far I do really appreciate your help.

I am fully funded so the money side of doing a PhD is not too much of a concern. Also there would not be an opportunity to defer entry so I really have to make a decision quite soon, which is proving difficult as my head is very muddled up at the moment and the matter is further complicated with my long term anxiety issues.

I have been looking for alternative careers, but so far I have not had much luck. Ive considered things such as an academic editor, school teacher and a data analyst to name a few but either I don't really seem to fit the description or they would require significant re-training and relevant work experience.

I am just worried I am going to come out of my PhD with a fantastic, but ultimately useless qualification. Investing this amount of effort into a PhD and then having to go into something I could have done straight from secondary school (e.g. pub/shop work) seems a likely but rather depressing scenario.

You may well finish a PhD and find that it's utterly useless for your future career, but hey, you will have been paid a pretty decent salary for 3 or 4 years, not had to pay council tax, probably met some great people and learnt many new things. Oh, and got a doctorate in the process. What's not to like?

If you ask me, it's better to get a PhD and not need it, then not get one and find out you need it when it's too late.

The fact that you'd be funded helps considerably.

As I say, it helps to think of a funded PhD as a job. You'll survive relatively comfortably.

It's also very useful that you won't need to find other work (though I'd recommend GTA work, for which you'll receive a salary in supplement to your monthly stipend), meaning you can devote more time to researching and writing your thesis. When your funding ends and the thesis isn't finished (this is by far the most likely scenario), you'll need to have made some provision financially. Place your GTA salary in a savings account in expectation of this period.

The qualification may not help you advance in career terms, but a funded PhD is a great opportunity for personal growth. If this is primarily what you seek from the experience, I'd say grab the opportunity with both hands. If career opportunities supersede such a desire, however, the decision becomes much tougher.

Be under no illusions, though. Studying for a PhD is a substantial undertaking that requires absolute commitment.

Best of luck, whatever you decide!

I agree here. It is better to get the PhD, who knows you may connect with people at conferences. Seems to be the way of things now.

It must be very difficult to decide what to do. When I was about to graduate from my 2-year Master programme, I wasn't sure what to do. Someone gave me the great advice to find a nice project abroad but which would be temporary. Which I did. I moved abroad for a year and decided to, during that time, apply for PhD positions. I am about to pass the one year mark of the PhD project I started after the one year project I did after my Master's and am experiencing some difficulties now which lead me to ask similar questions as you are. I will be nearing 30 when I finish, and even though I am convinced of the usefulnes of the skills I will learn during my project (and am learning at the moment), I lost the illusion that I can make a real contribution to science (which I had naively hoped) and am wondering if the hard work, many hours, stress it causes me, and lack of time/money to spend on hobbies/life are really worth it (a PhD stipend is not a lot when more than half goes to housing (which is just a bedroom as I can't afford any better)). I am also doubtful of my chances of finding a good job after I finish.

It sounds that if you feel that PhD research in your field is what you want to do, it might be worth going for it. You can get help to deal with anxiety and/or depression so this should not be the main reason not to go for it. These issues will pose a problem if you decide to look for an actual job as well, so better tackle them now than later. Doing PhD research is my decision, and if at some point I don't think it's worth it any longer, I can always quit. No one forces me to go into the deptartment every day, I want to. Good luck!

wrg,idts. no such thing as job with sx or anx, no stresx anxiex for such or anyx, can no stress anxiety no matter what

I suggest you not to giveup PhD.